Sports Spectrum

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The Value of Time

February 17, 2012

I love playing golf, but there was a time when I almost quit. Why? Well, first of all, it isn’t cheap, and these days every penny counts. But beyond the financial cost is the cost in time. Time, in a sense, is our most precious nonrenewable resource. We can’t make any more of it. We can save time, we can spend time, and we can waste time—but we can’t create any more time. For that reason, it is critical that we be wise as we make use of the time given to us by our Father. That means one thing—setting priorities. Why did I not stop playing golf? Because my sons wanted to play golf with me and were just getting old enough to tackle this extraordinarily difficult game. Suddenly everything changed. A lesser priority (having fun) almost took me out of golf, but a greater priority (time with my sons) caused me to stay engaged.

Paul understood this priority and said to the church at Ephesus:

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:15-16).

As we saw last week in our discussion on the value of preparation, we are not promised the future—we only have this moment today. How we make use of that moment is critical, because we have such a limited supply of moments. The question is this: Does our handling of time reveal our understanding of its value? Paul wrote to the church at Colosse: “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5).

In our relationships—particularly with those who are outside of Christ—wisdom is the thing. And wisdom in using our time to touch eternity is of the utmost importance. It’s critical that we allow our Lord to place within our hearts a passion for the times in which we live and for the people of this day who will spend an eternity of days somewhere.

Join us tomorrow on Sports Spectrum radio as we discuss time—and the times of our lives.

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